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BANGOR – The final score of Wednesday night’s women’s basketball game was 85-70 in Bates College’s favor, but it really wasn’t even that close.
The unbeaten Bobcats, ranked 22nd nationally among NCAA Division III teams by D3hoops.com, generated intense defensive pressure via half-court traps, presses and tight, man-to-man matchups to frustrate the Eagles, set up some easy hoops, and dominate the tempo.
The Eagles committed 16 turnovers in the first half and 27 total.
“We work every day on using the correct lane and making sure you have the correct hand in the passing lane, plus we work on running,” said Bates coach Jim Murphy. “We have to because if we’re not playing well defensively, we’re in for a long night.”
Wednesday was not one of those nights as the 4-0 Bobcats raced out to a 14-lead, shot 45 percent from the field in the first half, and never looked back as they built up a lead that would peak at 34 points (66-32) with 12 minutes left in the game.
“We didn’t stop their fast break very well at all in the first half,” said Husson coach Kissy Walker, who noted her team’s frustration level. “We did a better job of getting back in the second. They were competing more in the second half instead of just grumbling.”
That was after the Bobcats outscored Husson 20-7 in the first 71/2 minutes of the second half.
Senior forward Olivia Zurek led the Bobcats with 24 points and 12 rebounds in 24 minutes. Both her point and rebound totals were game highs.
“I just decided to shoot it more, I guess,” said the team co-captain. “The coaches have been telling me to take more shots when I’m open.”
“She’s the leading field-goal percentage shooter in the school’s history, and you have to beg her to take a shot,” Murphy said with a chuckle.
Wednesday she took 14, and 10 of them went in to the tune of 71.4 percent shooting. If that wasn’t enough, she also led the team with five steals.
“We just always try and apply a lot of pressure and make it difficult for any team to run their offense by trapping and rotating a lot,” Zurek said.
Sophomore forward Leah Schouten came off the bench to score 12 points for Bates and freshman guard Sarah Barton helped out with seven points and a game-high five assists.
Bates starting center Meg Coffin had to leave the game after being accidentally jabbed in the eye while being fouled with six minutes left in the first half.
The 1-2 Eagles made it respectable in the final minutes, when Bates’ starters were resting, and finished the game with a 22-4 run in the final 5:13.
Holly Gracie of Frankfort led the Eagles with 18 points – 12 in the second half and six on two, 24-foot 3-pointers from beyond the top of the key – and New Gloucester’s Annie McIntosh paced the team with 11 points, 12 boards and four blocks. Sophomore guard Crystal Martin of Calais scored 10 off the bench.
The game shaped up as a mismatch between veteran-laden Bates, a team that lost the NESCAC (New England Small College Athletic Conference) title game in overtime to eventual national Division III runner-up Bowdoin, and a young Husson squad, but the Bobcats weren’t taking chances.
“I don’t care who you are, but it’s nice to see your school in some top 25 list. It’s great for recruiting and it’s flattering, but it’s meaningless because you still have to win the games,” Murphy said. “We can’t look past anyone. We’re not good enough to look by anybody.”
BOBCATS 85, EAGLES 70
Bates (4-0) Husson (1-2)
Player G AG F AF TP Player G AG AF TP
Taylor 2 7 2 4 6 Ballard 1 4 2
Coffin 4 7 0 1 8 Murray 2 3 8
Barton 3 3 0 0 7 Noyes 2 8 5
Zurek 10 14 4 6 24 Gracie 6 13 18
Hochadel 0 2 0 0 0 McIntosh 4 11
Fitzgerald 1 3 0 0 2 Martin 3 5 10
Decato 2 9 1 1 5 Hartshorn 3 6
Buckler 3 7 0 0 6 Bell 0 0 0
Schouten 3 7 3 4 12 Merchant 0 2
Franklin 2 5 0 0 5 Melcher 1 1 3
Hart 0 2 0 0 0 Mentel 0 0 0 0
Whiting 2 6 4 6 8 Post 1 1 3
Blakeley 1 4 0 0 2 McIntyre 1 2
Krkian-Wintn 0 2 0 0 0
Totals 33 76 14 22 85 Totals 24 55 14 27 70
Bates 44 85
Husson 22 70
3-pt. goals – Bates (5-15): Schouten 3-6, Barton 1-1, Franklin 1-3, Fitzgerald 0-1, Decato 0-2, Hart 0-2; Husson (8-14): Gracie 4-8, Murray 2-3, Melcher 1-1, Post 1-1, Ballard 0-1
Attendance: 122
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